Automatic fire-extinguisher



(No Model.)

- Y J.- DE 8. BROWN.

AUTOMATIC FIRE BXTINGUISHER.

No. 490,821. Patented Jan. 31', 1893.

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JAMES DE SELDING BROWN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,821, dated January31, 1893.

Application filed June 12, 1891.

.To aIZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES DE SELDING. BROWN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in AutomaticFire- Extinguishers; and I hereby declare that the following is a clearand exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this speci fication.

These improvements have reference to that class of automaticfire-extinguishers, in which a valve for controlling the flow of water,or other extinguishing fluid, is held closed until by the effect of thefire upon the device, or the means which confine the valve, allrestraint upon its opening be removed, to allow the extinguishing fluidto be discharged upon the fire. It being understood that the class ofautomatic fire extinguishers referred to, are attached to a system ofpipes under pressure placed throughout a building to protect the samefrom fire occurring within the buildmg. 7

The objects to be obtained by the said improvements, are to provide theextinguisher with a valve, and a valve seat made from a material thatwill be non-corrodible and nonadhesive, with sufficient elasticity tomake a perfect water and air-tight connection; to provide non-conductingplates made from any material being a poor conductor of heat, so locatedas to accelerate its action in case of fire; to provide a releasingdevice so located as to be out of the reach of any leakage of theextinguishing fluid from the valve of the extinguisher, and will preventthe same from leaving its seat until the solder securing the saidreleasing devicebe fully fused; to provide deflectors or distributors,that will make a distribution of water, which will rapidly extinguish afire; to provide a holding lever, so located and constructed that itwill be thrown off from the extinguisher, when released by the action ofabnormal heat; to cover the completed extinguisher with a composition ofresin, beeswax and parafline, to prevent the oxidation and corrosion ofthe solder, and all its movable parts from the action of the Serial No.896,058. (No model.)

fumes from acids and alkalies and other corrodible agents. These objectsare obtained by the materials and mechanism hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings accompanying this specification. section ofthe extinguisher. the stationary deflector. T. Fig. 3 a horizontalsection of Fig. 2 on the line ee. Fig. 4 a plan of the rotarydistributor V. Fig. 5 a section of Fig. 4 on the line w.0a. Fig. 6 asection of Fig. 4: on the line o0.

Similar letters and numerals refer to similar parts on the severalviews.

Referring again to Fig. 2, G represents the case of the extinguisher, Othe inlet, H. the outlet to and from the said case. The extinguisherbeing attached to the pipes of an automatic equipment by the threadimmediately above the inlet 0. A. the valve seat fitted into the case attheinlet O. B the valve fitted into one end of the stem,F, the otherend, being firmly fastened to the deflector T. E, the guide, having inits center a tapering hole, which corresponds with the taperingcylinder, forming a part of the stem F. R the holding lever in two partsriveted to the nonconducting plate K bearing against the deflector T.upon two projections Ion one side of the case through the pin 1 as shownby Fig. 3, the long end resting upon the lever M through the pin N. L, apost attached to the caseG through the non-cond ucting plate K. M, thereleasing lever its fulcrum pin P passing loosely through the post L,its short end supporting the holding lever R. through the pin' N. Thislever is soldered to the post L through its fulcrum pin P by a solderfusing ata low temperature; it may also be soldered to this post at b.This is desirable when the pressure of water on the valve B be greaterthan one hundred pounds per square inch. The lever R being in theposition shown by Fig. 2

The short end of this lever rests Figure 2 is a longitudinal Fig. 1, aplan of.

the lever M. having its fulcrum at P through 9 the post L, hooks underthe pin N on the lever R, being drawn to the left it forces the lever Ragainst the deflector T; the same being as described connected to thevalve B by the stem F, and the valve is forced against its seat A; whilein this position, the lever M is soldered through its fulcrum P to thepost L, and the valve B is further forced to its seat by the tap-bolt 2which passes through the non-conducting plate K.

The action of the extinguisher undera fire is as follows: The solder atP and b being fused, the lever M is thrown forward by the pressure uponit of the lever B, through the pressure of water upon the valve 13,thereby releasing the leverR which is thrown off from the case G that itmay not interfere with the distribution of Water from the deflector T,and distributer V, which by the releasing of the valve B, have taken aposition three quarters of an inch below the outlet H, and the force ofthe water from the outlet causes the distributer V to revolve breakingup the same into small particles, which are, by the defiectorT thrown onthe ceiling and from thence to the floor of the building extinguishingthe fire that caused the operation of the extinguisher.

The valve B and its seat A are made from a material composed ofthefollowing composition; seventy-five parts, asphaltum; three parts gumcamphor; ten parts oxide of lead; fifty parts asbestus in fiber; fiftyparts ground graphite; ten parts sulphur; and prepared as follows:theasphaltum is first melted, the camphor added and thoroughlyincorporated, the other ingredients are then added in rotation named,and stirred until the mass becomes homogeneous. It is then allowed tocool and while plastic placed in a mold fitted with a piston and placedunder a hydraulic press, and subjected to a pressure of fifteen tons;the piston is then removed from the mold and the space occupied by itfilled with carbonate of lime or sand, and placed in an ordinary kilnand subjected to a temperature of 400 Fahrenheit for several hours. Whencompleted, this material may be formed into the required shape by toolssuch as used for the working of metals. This material forms a valve andvalve seat that are non-corrodible and non-adhesive. The said valve andvalve seat may be made from a material consisting of the same materialsand with the same manipulations adding in place of the asphaltum thelike amount of caoutchouc or gutta percha either of which produces thesame results. The non-conducting plates K K' as before located anddescribed are to prevent that portion of heat absorbed by the post L thelever M and the long end of the lever R- from being conducted to thecase G, thereby accelerating the action of the extinguisher, moreespecially under a slow application of heat, which is the usualapplication extinguishers are subjected to, in actual fires occuringunder their protection. The releasing lever M being soldered at itsfulcrum P prevents the valve B from making any movement toward leavingat its seat until the solder at P has been completely fused,therebypreventing any leakage of water upon the lever B, which would tend toretard the action of the extinguisher, also the solder in fusion forms aperfect lubricator for the fulcrum pin P and for those parts of thelever M, and post L in contact.

The stationary deflector T is a flat circular disk with alternateprojections and spaces ex tending about one-eighth of an inch from itscircumference and projecting from its surface about the same distance asshown by Figs. 1 and 2. The rotary distributer is also a flat circulardisk with four planes projecting from its surface the top of each planesloping toward the base of the next plane following, and is mounted uponthe top of the stationary defiecter and revolving around the stem F. Bythis the water is broken into small particles and by the deliccter Tprojected on the ceiling of the room in which it may be located. Thiscombination is to make a distribution of water that will instantaneouslyextinguish a fire, thereby preventing damage to merchandisc fromexcessive heat and smoke.

Having described my improvements that I claim as new and useful, what Idesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an automatic fireextinguisher the combination of a case, a valve seat and a valve madefrom the non-corrodible and nonadhesible materials as described, thevalve seat being cemented or screwed into the said case, and forming apart of the same, and the valve being cemented or screwed into a valvestem a rotary distributer on, and a stationary distributer firmlyattached to the said valve stem, a guide to hold the said distributer,through the valve stem parallel with and equi-distant from the outlet ofthe said case, a non-conducting plate, made from amaterial being a poorconductor of heat, attached to the said case, a post attached to thesaid nonconducting plate and two levers, one, the holding lever havingnear its center a nonconducting plate, with a set screw fitted into it,which bears directly on the said valve stem and the fulcrum pin of thislever bearing on the projections from the said case; the other leverbeing at right angles with and supporting the said holding lever by apin firmly fastened to it, soldered to the said post at, and through,its fulcrum pin by a metal fusing at a low temperature, for the purposessubstantially as described.

2. In an automatic fire extinguisher the valve stem F havingthe'stationary deflector T with alternate projections and spaces asdescribed, firmly fastened to it, with the rotary distributerV havingfour straight vertical planes, the summit of each sloping to the base ofthe next plane following, and placed above the said stationarydistributer with the stem F for its axis.

3. In an automatic fire extinguisher the combination of the case G withthe post L case G with the releasing lever M soldered to fastened to thesame through the non-conthe post L at, and through its fulcrum pinducting plate K the holding lever B having 'Wi'th ametal fusing at a lowtemperature.

a non-conducting plate K inserted near its JAMES DE SELDING BROWN. 5center, with the set screw d fitted into the Witnesses:

said plate, one end of this lever bearing JOB T. PUGH,

through the pin I on the projections from the LUCY W; PUGH.

